Guatemala -- Friday -- One the road again!

We left our hotel early, luggage was out at 6:00 a.m. for the luggage van. Our work was finised for this year, today we would be tourists.

Click on the picture. You will see that valley is full of houses. Not many crops could be grown down there.

Guatemala -- Friday -- A potty and snack stop at the Shell station

Clean too (link)

Guatemala -- Friday -- Wild flowers and corn

Guatemala -- Friday -- Taxi, anyone?

We had to work hard to get around these fellows. Then we all came to a stop.

They use these pickups to get into the villages not large enough or without good enough roads for the busses.

About twenty-four people can ride, all standing up.

Guatemala -- Friday -- Our destination for the afternoon, Lake Atitlán

Guatemala -- Friday -- These little taxis were running all around in Guatemala

Guatemala -- Friday -- We would boat around Lake Atitlan

You can see our boat a little later, it was smaller one. In fact it took two to carry our party. (link for Lake Atitlan article)(link with lots of pictures)

Guatemala -- Friday -- The southeastern shore

Guatemala -- Friday -- We would stop at this village for about an hour

Guatemala -- Friday -- This little town did a lot of weaving

Guatemala -- Friday -- That IS a dog on the roof

Guatemala -- Friday -- There were twelve villages around the lake, we stopped here

We stopped at this village, one of twelve surounding Lake Atitlán, each named for one of Jesus' appostles. I forgot the name of this one.

Guatemala -- Friday -- Our interpreter, Jessica

She was enjoying the ride.

Guatemala -- Friday -- The water was so blue and the scenery so pretty

Guatemala -- Friday -- These guys followed until they got a coin

Then they asked for more and six other small ones appeared.

Guatemala -- Friday -- This couple was from New York

They had a rented car and were diving various places at this lake and at others up from Belize.

Guatemala -- Friday -- I would liked to have one of these brightly painted wooden busses

But they were too expensive for me. I didn't see any get sold. They started at $80 for the smaller ones, I'm sure we could bargain down some. Bargaining is part of the market game.

Guatemala -- Friday -- We had a short walk to eat

After lunch, Mrs. Jim would buy a carved wooden flute from this fellow.

Guatemala -- Friday -- A nice lunch at Panajachel

Guatemala -- Friday -- There were a lot of these shops in market strips along the streets

Guatemala -- Friday -- We saw a lot of cornfields on the way down to Guatemala City

Guatemala -- Friday -- It was getting dark

A Ford in your future? I think we saw busses like these every day. They grow on you.

Guatemala -- Friday -- Our room!

The Hotel Quinta Real in Guatemala City. This was a really nice room. We got there late and we still had to go eat.

[Click here for the last day]]

Guatemala -- The Last Saturday -- Our bedroom as we left (Quinta Real Hotel, Guatemala City)

Too bad we had to get there so late (9:00 p.m. plus) and leave so early (4:00 a.m.) the next morning. This was a really nice room.

Guatemala -- The Last Saturday -- The dining room for Breakfast (Quinta Real Hotel, Guatemala City)

It was a continental breakfast, at 4:00 a.m. The manager was so good to us!